While most students denounce sleep as the least important of their priorities, a University of Alberta professor thinks that widespread attitude should be put to rest.

Cary Brown, an associate professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, recently held a seminar on sleep hygiene at the U of A, where she said small changes can be taken to improve sleep for postsecondary students.

Brown defined sleep hygiene as "knowing what things contribute to bad sleep, and figuring out 'How can I adjust my lifestyle and my schedule so that I can still do what I want to do, but without [those] negative consequences?' "

She listed busy schedules and technology use as key reasons for sleep deprivation in many postsecondary students. Backlit screens used before bed activate adenosine, a neurotransmitter that signals the body to stay awake. This effect, in combination with a lack of sun and dim lighting in campus buildings, confuses the body's circadian rhythms.

Brown believes that a distorted societal perception of sleep, highlighted by the rampant advertisement of energy drinks in the media, also contributes to increased sleep deprivation rates. "We have developed this badge of honour where, if you don't need any sleep, people think, 'Wow, that's really cool, and that's great, and they're really tough because they don't need sleep,' " she said. "But what happens is you start to lack insight after you're sleep deprived for a while. You don't actually realize how poor you are managing."

Sleep deprivation correlates directly to lower grades, weight gain, decreased libido, and a higher risk of depression — consequences that Brown emphasized when warning students about not getting enough sleep.

Still, students shouldn't be expected to sleep nine hours every night, according to Brown. Rather, it's the smaller, incremental changes that can have the biggest effects.

"I look at sleep like a system, so there's a whole bunch of things going on, and you can't fix everything, but maybe there's one thing," she said.

These changes include wearing earplugs, running a fan in the background, and wearing a sleep mask. Longer-term changes include establishing a regular sleep schedule and finding the right amount of sleep that makes you feel restored in the morning.

Despite campaigns like National Sleep Awareness Week which ran from March 7 to 13, Brown said she felt that a local sleep awareness campaign would be more beneficial for U of A students.

"If you don't have any sleep, how can you learn, how can you make the best of your time here?" she said. "[In the residences,] people aren't just being jerks when they ask you to be quiet; there's really a need for it. I know they're starting to look more at quiet floors [in Lister] and I think that'll help."

And although most people would expect that an expert in sleep would have more than enough restful nights of their own, Brown's reasoning for her sleep research boils down to one thing. "I guess it's because I'm sleep deprived too."